517 Subs joins Salvation Army's fight against poverty

Russ and Sara Holmes, owners of 517 Subs, say the Salvation Army is their favorite faith-based ministry because it provides more assistance than any other charity.

In order to help their ministry of choice provide even more assistance this holiday season, the Holmeses are selling the organization's "Behind the Apron" cookbook at the restaurant for $20 each.

"It's the first year they've done it in a while," Sara Holmes said in regards to the cookbook, which features recipes from the Salvation Army's Ladies Auxiliary and comes already wrapped for Christmas. "It's a really cool cookbook."

The restaurant also has a Salvation Army Angel Tree set up inside. Each tag on the tree features the name of a child and their age, which can range from infants to 12 years. Customers can choose a tag from the tree and purchase gifts for the child on the tag, then bring the gifts back to 517 Subs to be delivered to the children.

"[The tags] are gone very quickly when people find out about the tree," Sara Holmes said. "There are a lot of giving people up here."

The restaurant started out with 20 tags on its tree, and she said she could call the Salvation Army for more if they run out.

If people lack the time to shop for a child, they can also make a monetary donation at the jar on the counter and someone else will do the shopping for them, said Sara Holmes.